Scones! Gluten-Free Scones!

This is a guest post written by Doren Damico, she is sister to Adam, Brandie, and Brie, and cousin to Cat. She is a talented teacher and talented singer-songwriter. We can now add baking to the list of her many skills.

About a year ago, I spied a recipe for scones at the Qwerty Cafe.  They looked so good my mouth started salivating. Scones! Gluten-filled Scones! Deadly, allergy inducing gluten! The dissidence was unbearable, my love of all breads and baked goods was either followed by extreme bouts of illness (due to a gluten allergy), or painfully unrequited.  Those scones on the Qwerty Cafe website changed everything. I was inspired, enraged, and hungry for scones. This was just the right combination to fuel my search for the perfect gluten-free scone recipe, one that would fool even a wheat-based pallet. It took me a year and four attempts, with a dedicated gluten eating tasting crew, to finally arrive at my gluten-free scone heaven:  coffee, scones and a good book.  For all my gluten-free friends, here is a recipe to offer even your most discerning guests.  Enjoy!

(Using a pre-mix is one of the best ways to find gluten-free success without the need to purchase several flours and leavening products. However, they are not all the same, and some are downright terrible. My gluten-free baking cookbook has a recipe for scones that requires 16 ingredients. The following recipe requires only 8 ingredients and was the only pre-mix I tried that had a great texture; dry, not too dry. There are suggestions for a dairy-free version, but I used butter and milk in the successful batch. I recommend that you hunt for this mix at an excellent health food store.  Or merely order it online at www.pamelasproducts.com. This way, you’ll avoid disappointment and have more time for enjoying your scones.)

Scones! Gluten-Free Scones!

 

Print

Author: Doren Damico

Ingredients

• 1 Bag Pamela's Biscuit & Scone Mix
• ½ cup sugar (I used raw sugar)
• 8 tablespoons butter cut in ½” pieces/well chilled
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup dried fruit: cranberries
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• Lemon zest
• Parchment Paper (recommended) or plastic wrap

Instructions

1. Gather your ingredients
3. Place rack in top third of oven and pre-heat oven to 375°
4. Combine dry mix and sugar
5. Cut butter into dry mix until pea-sized crumbs are formed. You can use a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a pastry blender. You can also use 2 knives and a bit of calorie burn in your arms as you slice/slide the knives along each other in opposite directions through the mix and butter. It only takes a few minutes. (That's how I did this batch. A week later, one of my tasters bought me a stand mixer. He verbalized he didn't want me to work so hard. But I could read his subliminal message: MORE!)
7. Add milk, and dried fruit. Mix until just incorporated. (They say you can add nuts, but when I tried that, the scones broke up before the hand could get to the mouth. I also added too much liquid on one batch. If that happens, keep some rice flour on hand to sprinkle on the dough. But don't stir too much, or it will come out really dense.)
9. Scoop onto piece of greased parchment paper and gently form into a round or log, 1” to 1½” high.
11. Cut with greased knife into wedges and place on greased or parchment covered cookie sheet.
13. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes until just starting to brown.
16. Put 2 TBSP of milk into a bowl. Stirring, add powdered sugar. Grate a fragrant lemon skin and add a sprinkle to the sugar mixture. Brush or spoon a small amount onto each of the scones.
19. Serve as the highlight of a continental breakfast. But be careful! I made a batch on Christmas eve and mistakenly left them wrapped in plastic on the dining room table. Honestly, they were all gone before morning!

3.2.2265